In May 2025, The Phoenix Way (TPW) marked a major milestone — five years since its founding. Born in the midst of a global pandemic and in direct response to the structural inequalities faced by Black and racially minoritised voluntary and community organisations, TPW has since grown into a bold, national movement for racial and social justice.

Over the past five years, TPW has worked to disrupt the status quo and champion a more equitable approach to funding, policy, and community power. With a mission to address systemic barriers and put communities of colour in the lead, TPW has mobilised efforts across the UK — facilitating community wealth-building, influencing funding systems, and strengthening the voice and visibility of Black & Racially Minoritised-led community organisations.

The Retreat: A Moment of Collective Pause and Purpose

To honour this journey, TPW hosted a landmark 3-day retreat bringing together around 30 individuals from across the national ecosystem — including members of the National Leadership Group, Ubele staff, regional leads, consultants, facilitators, administrators, and storytellers. Held in a serene setting, the retreat was carefully designed around three key intentions: REFLECT, RESTORE, and REJOICE.

REFLECT on the movement’s evolution: what TPW has achieved, how it has operated, and what it has meant to be part of this transformative journey.
RESTORE a shared sense of purpose and recalibrate for the work ahead — surfacing honest reflections, limitations, and lessons learned.
REJOICE in the impact and spirit of TPW and celebrate the community that has shaped it.

What made this retreat so special was its deep commitment to collaborative, co-created learning and dialogue. True to TPW’s values, the experience was participatory, facilitative, and dialogue-led — blending structured sessions with open space, storytelling, and reflection.

Participants engaged in “reflecting-in-action” and “reflecting-on-action,” generously sharing insights from their regions and areas of work. Whether it was recognising moments of transformation or reckoning with challenges, the collective energy was honest, warm, and forward-facing.

Nurturing the Whole Self

In a nod to holistic well-being, the retreat also offered personalised therapy sessions — from massages to manicures — designed to provide much-needed me-time in between sessions. These gentle interludes helped participants unwind and reconnect with themselves, a small but powerful gesture that reflected TPW’s belief in collective care and sustainability.

Facilitators and Contributors

The retreat was expertly held by a talented team of facilitators, creatives, and support staff who brought their passion, experience, and artistry to the space:

Aiwan Obinyan – BAFTA-winning sound designer and founder of AiAi Studios, Aiwan brought a powerful lens of storytelling and cultural production to the retreat.
Tamanda Walker – Researcher and sociologist working with AiAi Studios, Tamanda champions the convergence of lived experience and systems change and was a part of the crew capturing stories and moments throughout the retreat.
Vipin Chauhan – Veteran social researcher and long-time TPW collaborator, Vipin’s facilitation balanced rigour with heart, structure with spaciousness.
Yvonne Field – National Lead and founding force behind TPW and The Ubele Initiative, Yvonne’s leadership and vision have been instrumental to TPW’s growth.
Yvette Storr – A stalwart of TPW operations, Yvette’s organisational wisdom and decades of service to racially minoritised communities continue to be foundational.
Jaeda-Divine - one of our graphic harvesters who did The Phoenix Way, 2-day Graphic Harvest Programme in December 2023 and was recommended by the facilitators to attend the event.

Additional support came from the phenomenal Jemstone Therapy team, who did an outstanding job providing soothing massages, rejuvenating facials, and relaxing manicures that helped participants unwind and recharge between the sessions.

Reflections from the Retreat

Feedback from participants affirmed the value of the gathering — a rare opportunity to pause, reconnect, and realign:

“I truly value coming together to build trust and reflect on our values of working together.”

“The retreat was a valuable and enjoyable opportunity to come together, connect, and reflect as a group.”

“It was great — light touch, kept us on track. Direction of travel was crystal clear. Thanks Vipin!”

“Whilst it was a retreat, it was also hard work! Maybe a day doing jack would’ve made it even more relaxing.”

These reflections underscore both the depth and honesty of the retreat experience — one that held space for both the hard questions and the celebratory moments.

Looking Ahead

As TPW enters its sixth year, the retreat has helped set the tone for its next chapter — one defined by clarity, community, and continued courage. There’s more work to do, but the movement is ready.

Together, we reflect.
Together, we restore.
Together, we rejoice.

Here’s to five years of The Phoenix Way — and the path forward.

Afterword from Yvonne Field

“The programme achieved the right balance with Vipin holding the overarching framework and delivering key workshop sessions. They allowed us time and space to reflect on our contributions, achievements, benefits, frustrations, and challenges as well as to plan ahead.

The Open Space sessions offered by Partners and other colleagues were very welcomed (and we need to find a way to offer the other sessions that could not be run).

We were introduced to the Black scholarship lens through which our leadership interviews are being analysed; we were thoroughly pampered by our three highly skilled therapists and we danced and laughed during our celebratory meal while being introduced to our new Board members. Their presence helped build confidence across the boundaries and we look forward to everyone meeting again in early July (date and venue to be confirmed).

An all-Black female crew of film makers, our photographer and graphic harvester introduced a highly creative and, in some instances, novel dimension to the capturing of our story. We look forward to the outputs and outcomes.

Co-creating a multi-million-pound initiative from scratch was never going to be a walk in the park; particularly when starting during a pandemic with a previously unknown group of people who all hold significant leadership positions.....several CEO’s aiming to achieve a common goal is bound to raise some deep issues and concerns...and we are still here!

We have travelled far over the past 5 years and still have some way to go. We are on the cusp of creating TPW 3.0 and we are looking forward to this coming into being. ”

— Yvonne Field OBE - Founder/CEO